//------------------------------// // A Pony in the bush // Story: Not So Random after all. // by protractror //------------------------------// Pinkie couldn't fight a demon, nopony could. Maybe Twilight could have fought him with magic, and maybe Rainbow could have used her speed. Maybe Applejack or Rarity could have used diplomacy or reason. Maybe, Fluttershy could have just stared him into submission. But Pinkie couldn't do anything like that, and it seemed like it wouldn't even had worked. However Pinkie had her own strengths. First of all, Pinkie had friends in high places. If she could just wait a few days, Celestia would be back and everything could go back to normal, because even now nothing dared defy Celestia. However, if she was going to make it to the next sunrise, let alone the end of the week she was going to need to move, and fast. She could never outrun whatever was following her, but she didn't need too. She just needed to not get caught and right now she was a needle in a haystack, or more specifically a pony in a hedge maze. She ran through the maze like a bullet on acid, jumping through shrubbery like it was air. Looping, curving and zig-zagging, she was impossible to follow with your eyes, and even harder to track. With her trademark hop Pinkie cleared an almost impossible jump before dropping like a rock into the next wall, turning on a dime to her left. Sprinting like the earth was opening up behind her, Pinkie charged forward.The look on her face was possibly the most intimidating glare ever seen on a pony who's strategy was running for her life. Her eyes were staring a hundred miles ahead of her, but she still had complete control of her sprint. Pinkie had made it roughly half way through the labyrinthine when she heard the inevitable, deafening crack. It was as if he dimmed the sun and negated the wind. Canterlot gardens had never seemed so alone, and for a second Pinkie wondered if it was even worth it to try and fight. But when a cruel laugh seeped into her ears from far away, she didn't have time to think, just run. *********************************************************************************************************** Perhaps the cruelest thing the demon had done was to make Pinkie's best friends watch as he hunted her. Originally the element bearers had just been obstacles, but now they were becoming annoying. And when they had the audacity to waste his time with this silly scheme, he decided to make sure that they suffer. After Twilight and Rarity had been introduced to their new cells, he snapped his fingers and a screen appeared. On it was Pinkamina Diane Pie, running with puffy eyes through the gardens of Canterlot. he didn't even have to say anything past cracking his knuckles and teleporting off. Everypony in the room knew what was going on. A hunt to which they had box seats. There was a long silence in the dungeon as they watched Pinkie run. She wasn't hopping like usual, or even running when she was mad. This was a Pinkie Pie that didn't have time to be Pinkie Pie. The silence was only broken when Pinkie tripped, propelling her body to skid across the sandy earth. Fluttershy let out a shriek as she saw her fall as Rarity put her fore leg around her shoulder. "Get up Pinkie, c'mon!" Rainbow Dash said to herself, pushed up as far as she could get to the cage's bars. "Dammit, we should be out there with her! Twi, can't you teleport us out there?" "Rainbow, don't you think I would have done that by now?" Twilight said with great frustration. "I can barely stand it took me so much magic to get Pinkie to Canerlot, but it wouldn't even matter. This cage is some type of magic, I can't do anything." "Dammit! C'mon Pinkie, you can't just stay down right now! He's coming right for you!" Rainbow was yelling at the screen now, but it didn't make any difference. Pinkie wasn't moving. "Rainbow, maybe y'all should just take a look away from the screen fer now." Applejack said quietly, coming up from behind her. "No AJ, no way! This is Pinkie Pie here. She is going to win this, and she is going to get up because a stupid rock isn't going to take down Pinkie Pie. It isn't going to end like this." " And then what Rainbow? Is she going to keep running to Appaloosa? Is he not going to catch her in the next three days? He's toying with us Dash! He could get her any minute! I know it looks like Pinkie is magic and impossible sometimes, but she can't outrun him forever! Do you really need to see her get captured?" Applejack forced out what everyone was really thinking, and the pain on her face was evident. However, before anyone could do anything, Pinkie stirred. In an instant she was at full speed, making the screen work to keep up with her. "I don't want to see her get captured. I want to see her beat him" Rainbow said before turning back to the screen. With a sigh, Applejack turned her back and went to console Fluttershy with Rarity. *********************************************************************************************************** Meanwhile, an old soul was having the time of his life. For the third time, he was impressed. There was no way he was going to find Pinkie in the maze fairly, and just appearing in front of her was no fun for the audience back home. So he made a compromise, and decided to raze the labyrinthine to the ground. with a snap, the wall in front of him exploded of of existence. This fate was shared with the next wall, and the next. Slowly, the maze was burning to ashes, and the walls were becoming less and less seclusive. ******************************************************************************************************************************** Twilight was beyond frustrated. Unlike everyone else she had refused to believe that all their hope laid on Pinkie and had decided to try every possible way to get out of the cage. However, it only became more and more apparent that this cage was more powerful than anything Twilight had seen outside of the Princess' royal collection. With a sigh, she turned to take in the situation going on in Canterlot. Pinkie was bursting through a bush, disheveled, scratched and with a subtle look of fear on her face. However, one detail seemed to throw her off the most. Pinkie was looking at the sky, constantly. Twilight had no idea why, it was probably the reason that she had tripped. "Rainbow, how long has she been looking up like that?" Twilight asked her only other friend who was following the chase. "The whole time, taking quick glances. Its so annoying, she doesn't have time for that!" "What are you talking about?" "She's waiting for me Twilight! She's looking for help, for a pegasus to fly in and save her! And I'm right here, trapped by a stinking cage!" Dash said, finally letting defeat into her voice. This time, when Twilight came close to Rainbow, she didn't pull away. *********************************************************************************************************** The writing was on the wall for Pinkie, the booms coming from behind her were now shaking her whole body. She could only keep up her pace for so long, and any minute he would have already caught up to her. Pinkie had no idea just how much trouble the demon had finding her trail but it didn't matter, for every dead end was just a hiccup at his speed. Bursting out from one final hedge, Pinkie stopped. She was in a clearing, and it was here that she had to make her stand. Looking around, she decided that if she was going to go out, she was going out in style. Her smile came back to her, and she was suddenly back in her element. She looked at the black smoke cloud coming her way, and her whole body changed. Her back straightened, her hair poofed and her smile was one of sly confidence. With a subtle humming she waited for her greatest fear. *********************************************************************************************************** By this point even Fluttershy was staring at the screen in confusion. None of this made any sense! "Get outta there!" Applejack muttered to herself. Nopony really had any idea what Pinkie was doing, which just made them feel more worried. Everypony save Rainbow Dash. Rainbow knew that she never knew what Pinkie Pie was up to, and the fact that she was being Pinkie Pie again gave her the tiniest bit of hope. Rainbow Dash thrived on the tiniest bit of hope. *********************************************************************************************************** Finally the demon had made it to Pinkie's clearing. He knew she was there, hiding. He could feel it in every ounce of his body. He had waited long enough for this, it was time for the show to begin. "Hello Pinkie Pie!" He shouted, his friendly words laced in much darker intentions. "Its been fun and all trying to catch you, but this needs to stop. So if you would kindly please do whatever you are planning on doing so I can move this along it would be much appreciated." No response was made however. A lone tumbleweed crossed the clearing. "A tumbleweed? Real-" The demon said before he was cut off by a singing bullet flying through the air. "Cupcakes!" Pinkie sang as he kicked the demon in the jaw, knocking him off balance. "So sweet and tasty," Pinkie danced around him, kicking sand into his eyes. "Cupcakes!" Pinkie ran behind the evil force and bucked him, toppling him to the ground. "Don't be to hasty," Pinkie pulled her element of laughter into her mouth and raised it above his back. "Cupcakes, cupcakes Cupcakes!" Pinkie yelled as she Repeatedly whipped the element into the demon's back. The demon started to shake, with what Pinkie first interpreted as tears. Sadly, it was laughter. He stood up, instantly propelling Pinkie off of him, laughing with a vigor that would match even Pinkie's. "That was your plan? A song and dance number? I was starting to think there might be more to you than a wide smile and fast legs, but I guess not! When things get tough, the tough get dancing? Bahahaha! Oh I sincerely hope your still as funny once I remove your element from you." The demon's victory speech was cut short however, because he wasn't the only one laughing. "What, what could possibly be funny right now?" "I might be silly, but I'm not stupid snooty. I know I can't beat you, I realized that when even Rainbow Dash couldn't beat you. She's the fastest flier in Equestria! Nopony can beat you!" "Than why did you run? Delaying the inevitable?" "Because, I know more things than just ponies silly! I know things that could crush you like a bug." Pinkie Pie's voice became serious for just a moment, but it was deadly serious. " I've bested Hydra's! I've fought a dragon and lived to tell the tale!" "Cute. But I'd thin I'd see something big enough to rival me." "That's what's so funny! It was right under your nose the entire time!" Pinkie giggled. The Demon was no longer amused in any way, especially when he saw a blue glow from behind the hedge Pinkie was in front of. He instantly destroyed the hedge wall. "What is that thing!" He shouted as the smoke cleared. "You didn't honestly think that all the song and dance was for you did you?" Pinkie couldn't help herself from laughing now. the smoke cleared and in it's place was the most life like statue n all of Equestria, glowing bright blue. "I know Celestia might not be here, but I figured what's the next best thing?" "Dear god, that can't be him? Discord has been gone for thousands of years an-" before he could continue a hand came out of the statue., grabbing him and pulling him into the statue. "Oh I remember you," The statue chuckled in a deep booming voice. "Oh it is going to be fun having a visitor in here." With a muffled scream, the lion paw of the statue pulled the demon inside. He grasped at anything he could, slowly being pulled into a very long, chaotic, jail. Pinkie was mute during the whole affair, while the demon screamed. Discord laughed. *********************************************************************************************************** Pinkie waited a few hours by the statue of Discord before her friends arrived. The cage lost its power when the Demon was taken by discord, and they rushed over as soon as they could. After the Mach 3 hug from Rainbow Dash, the question on everypony's mind was how did Pinkie know it would work with Discord, and that he would even cooperate with Pinkie. Pinkie explained that she didn't really know if it would work at first, but when she got close enough to the statue she was able to talk to Discord and a deal was made. Discord would help Pinkie, if and only if he could have his statue moved to Ponyville. Twilight was obviously taken aback, but Pinkie rationalized that everypony needs friendship, even Discord. "Imagine spending a thousand years looking at a bush and tell me that you wouldn't want to make everything crazy." she said with her best most pleading eyes. "And anyways, did you see how much chaos it took for him to even get an arm out? The seal is still strong right now! You owe me one. You owe him one." Reluctantly, Twilight agreed. She also reluctantly agreed to let Pinkie add the post script to her friendship report that week, which comprised of "Never leave ever again! Sincerely, Pinkie the hero of Ponyville" Life went back to normal surprisingly quick, and that was good. The only real change was that Pinkie started getting more responsibility in town than party planning, and a little more faith from her friends.